Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Sweet Yojeanette’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Sweet Yojeanette’, characterized by its upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; daisy-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets; creamy white-colored ray florets and bright yellow-colored disc florets; and natural season flowering in early October in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Sweet Yojeanette.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and disctinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sweet Yojeanette’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yojeanette, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,908. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the cultivar Yojeanette in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in April, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since June, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Sweet Yojeanette has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in gentoype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Sweet Yojeanette’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sweet Yojeanette’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Daisy-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray         florets.     -   5. Creamy white-colored ray florets and bright yellow-colored         disc florets.     -   6. Natural season flowering in early October in the Northern         Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the parent, the cultivar Yojeanette in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered one day later than         plants of the cultivar Yojeanette when grown under natural         season conditions.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Yojeanette         differed in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar         Yojeanette had light pink-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Tracy, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,609. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Tracy in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger and more rounded         than plants of the cultivar Tracy.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week later         than plants of the cultivar Tracy when grown under natural         season conditions.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Pidoul, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,218. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Pidoul in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Pidoul.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about two weeks         earliear than plants of the cultivar Pidoul when grown under         artificial short day/long night photoperiodic conditions.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum maintained the         creamy white coloration for ten days longer than ray florets of         plants of the cultivar Pidoul.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Sweet Yojeanette’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of a typical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Sweet Yojeanette’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Alva, Fla. during the winter in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden-type Chrysanthemum production. One cutting was planted in a 15.25-cm container in early December, 2002. Plants were pinched one time, that is, the terminal apex was removed to enhance branching, at the end of December. One week after the pinch, plants were exposed to short day/long night photoperiodic treatments until flowering. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 26° C. and night averaged 18° C. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Sweet     Yojeanette. -   Commercial classification: Daisy-type garden Chrysanthemum. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the     Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yojeanette, disclosed in U.S.     Plant Pat. No. 13,908. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten to twelve days             at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form/growth habit.—Perennial herbaceous daisy-type             garden Chrysanthemum. Inverted triangle with mounded crown.             Stems initially upright, then outwardly spreading. Freely             branching with about ten lateral branches per plant.             Moderately vigorous to vigorous.         -   Plant height.—About 16 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 23 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 14.5 cm. Diameter: About             2 mm. Internode length: About 1.3 cm. Aspect: Upright and             outwardly spreading. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.         -   Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length:             About 3.75 cm. Width: About 3.3 cm. Apex: Mucronate. Base:             Truncate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses parallel to             divergent. Texture, upper surface: Slightly pubescent.             Texture, lower surface: Pubescent; veins prominent. Color:             Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface:             Slightly darker than 147A. Developing and fully expanded             foliage, lower surface: 147B. Venation, upper surface: 147A.             Venation, lower surface: Close to 147B. Petiole length:             About 1.7 cm. Petiole diameter: About 1 mm. Petiole color,             upper surface: 147A to 147B. Petiole color, lower surface:             147B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated             oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals             above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray florets             developing acropetally on a capitulum. About seven to eight             inflorescences per lateral branch.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower in early October in the Northern Hemisphere.         -   Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About             3.5 mm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color (lower             surface of phyllaries): More green than 147A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.5 cm. Depth (height):             About 8 mm. Disc diameter: About 7.5 mm. Receptacle             diameter: About 2 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong. Length: About 1.7 cm.             Corolla tube length: About 1 mm. Width: About 3 mm. Apex:             Rounded or emarginate. Margin: Fused. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous; satiny. Surface: Mostly flat. Orientation:             Initially upright, then perpendicular to vertical. Number of             ray florets per inflorescence: About 28 in about two whorls.             Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface:             Slightly more yellow than 155D. When opening and fully             opened, lower surface: Slightly more yellow than 155D.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular; apex dentate, five-pointed.             Length: About 3.75 mm. Width, apex: About 1 mm. Width, base:             Less than 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence:             About 54. Color: Immature: Close to 154A. Mature: Apex:             Close to 9A. Mid-section: Close to 144D. Base: Close to             155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 18. Length:             About 3.5 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent.             Color, upper surface: Close to 147A. Color, lower surface:             More green than 147A.         -   Peduncle.—Length: First peduncle: About 2.75 cm. Fourth             peduncle: About 2.8 cm. Seventh peduncle: About 2.9 cm.             Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: About             45° from vertical. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Anther color: 9A. Pollen: None observed. Gynoecium:             Present on both ray and disc florets.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not     been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been     observed to be tolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from     0 to more than 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Sweet Yojeanette’, as illustrated and described. 